|
Indian young turks are amazing: Gilchrist
|
Awestruck by the
young trailblazers in India's one-day team,
Australia's 'Greatest ODI Cricketer' Adam
Gilchrist said power-hitters in Mahendra Singh
Dhoni's side have redefined the game with their
amazing strokeplay.
Without naming any particular player, Gilchrist
said he was stunned by some of the shots played
by the Indian youngsters during the Twenty20
World Cup and the seven-match ODI series last
month.
"Some of the things I saw in India, some of the
shots their young players are playing and the
power in the game at that Twenty20 tournament
was amazing," |
 |
Gilchrist said after
looking at the Indian youngsters, he began to wonder
whether his days as a power-hitter are all but over.
"I definitely feel like I have still got a role to play
and still can be very much a feature in one-day cricket,
but it's a bit different. There may have been a time
when I was a trailblazer, [but] I think it has surpassed
me now. I'm not saying I'm redundant, it's just the way
the game is evolving, and it's exciting," he explained.
The wicketkeeper batsman, who was voted Australia's
greatest one-day cricketer by his fellow players, said
the changing face of the game is making it tough for him
to keep pace.
|
 |
"The way the
guys are hitting them these days, I don't feel
like I'm keeping up," Gilchrist, who turned 36
on Wednesday, said.
The affable stumper felt Steve Waugh's decision
to promote him as an opener was the turning
point of his career and helped him create a
niche for himself.
"It enabled me to forge my identity at the top
of the order and contribute more than just an
average of 25 in the middle order and keeping,"
he said.
Asked whom he voted for in the poll for
selecting Australia's ODI great, Gilchrist |
said he opted for his current skipper Ricky Ponting for
his brilliant leadership of the team.
"There were a couple of times when I had little runs of
outs and didn't feel like I was contributing as well as
I wanted to."
"Other times I've had great loyalty from Ricky. The
captains I've had have continued to encourage me and
almost laugh at me if I've even hinted that perhaps I'm
better moving down," he said.
--PTI, Melbourne
|
